Devotionals for the Heart: God is with us and faithful in all the seasons of life

God is Faithful
A devotional by Peg Arnold

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”—Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)

The last day of our Hawaiian vacation had arrived, and we still wanted to go snorkeling. Our friends described a beautiful bay less than a mile up the beach. They offered to let us borrow their equipment. Immediately, we changed into our suits, gathered our things, and headed out on our adventure!

It was a perfect morning. The sun glistened on the water as the white foamed waves rhythmically rolled into the shore. We marveled at the beauty as we walked along the beach. The sandy terrain gradually transitioned into a rocky landscape, where the ocean waves crashed forcefully against the lava-rock-lined shore.

Navigating our way became increasingly challenging as we encountered slippery rocks covered with algae. At one point, we had to climb to an elevated, narrow pass to avoid the jagged rocks. Suddenly, everything changed. Even though the trail appeared solid, the sand gave way when I stepped on it, sifting through the rocks. Immediately, I tumbled three feet down onto sharp, jagged lava boulders.

My snorkeling gear bag flew out from my hands, and I found my bottom wedged between two large, jagged boulders. Every inch of me hurt. My husband, alarmed, rushed to my side. Very concerned, he asked, "Are you OK?" Struggling to catch my breath and assess my injuries, I moaned, "I don't know, I think so."

It was a harrowing experience, and it took considerable effort and time for my husband to reach me. It was not an easy task to rescue me from the rocks and assist me back to the safety of the sandy shore. He supported me as I limped, then rested, limped, then rested all the way back to the beach house. I couldn't put much weight on my bleeding foot, and every move shot pain through my body.

Upon returning to the yard, my husband assessed my wounds, gently washing away the sand and blood. As we reflected on the ordeal, there were mixed emotions of disappointment at missing out on snorkeling yet gratitude that my injuries weren't more severe. Following a call to our friends for assistance, we contemplated a visit to the emergency room but ultimately decided against it. I would need to rest and prepare to leave the next day.

This experience left a profound impact. It reminded me how suddenly our lives can be tipped upside down, from one moment of joy, plans, and anticipation to being thrown into a storm filled with fear and uncertainty. It brought to mind the comforting words written throughout the Bible book of Isaiah. Words to us from Jesus Christ saying, “I will be with you.” Life can change in a second without notice, throwing us into a season of loss, grief, pain, or uncertainty, but God continually promises to be with us. He is faithful!

My accident in Hawaii is minor compared to many other devastating events. We had to cancel our plans for the rest of that day, and when flying home, I needed assistance to and from the gate. When I returned home, I did see my doctor to confirm there were no broken bones or infections from the wounds. My body has since healed, but the scars are still visible.

Healing from loss and tragedy takes much longer, and the scars can alter what “normal” used to look like. But God is faithful! Even though we feel like we are drowning, or the fire is consuming us, He is there protecting us, promising strength and comfort. God will never leave us.

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness in every surprise, challenge, and step in unfamiliar territory. You warned us that we would encounter troubles in this life but promised that You would not leave us. Thank You for Your promises of comfort and strength in the valleys. Help us to rely on You and identify Your blessings in the storms. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “When You Walk Through the Water” by Allison Durham Speer. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “He’s Always Been Faithful” by TaRanda Greene performed with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Peg Arnold, Speaker/Author/Teacher is a Drama Queen for Jesus. 

Her vibrant, interactive, and soul-stirring messages encourage all to embrace their God-given value. As a mom, wife, nana, mentor, with a master’s in counseling, she connects on a personal basis by sharing her joys and challenges of many life experiences through her dramas, messages, and witness. Whether talking with a friend over coffee or addressing hundreds of people at a conference, her passion for equipping women is contagious.

She has published devotions on YouVersion and in the Upper Room. In addition, she has contributed to two Chicken Soup for the Soul books, three anthologies, numerous articles, and blogs. Her devotional, Devotions for the Distracted Heart, received a 2022 OASIS award.

Peg desires everyone to know that their story is important and has a purpose. She grew up in Michigan and raised her family in Maryland. Later in life, Peg and her husband relocated close to their family in Colorado.

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Connect with Peg:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arnoldpeg/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pegarnoldwow
Website: https://pegarnold.org/ Get some freebies when you visit!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC51V_iWr0RfGAQvQnWVXEoA
Devotions for the Distracted Heart blog: https://pegarnold.wordpress.com/
YouVersion: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/22261-devotions-for-the-distracted-heart
Holiday YouVersion: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/28680-holiday-devotions-for-the-distracted-heart
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/wonderofwomen/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/peg-arnold-wow

Devotionals for the Heart: Life Lessons about Waiting on God to Show Up

Waiting On God
A devotional by Sharon Musgrove

The Lord said, “Go out and stand at the mountain before the Lord. The Lord is passing by.” A very strong wind tore through the mountains and broke apart the stones before the Lord. But the Lord wasn’t in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake. But the Lord wasn’t in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire. But the Lord wasn’t in the fire. After the fire, there was a sound. Thin. Quiet. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his coat. He went out and stood at the cave’s entrance. A voice came to him and said, “Why are you here, Elijah?” 

–1 Kings 19:11-13 (CEB)

How do we respond when God does not show up when we expect Him to?

Do we question Him along the lines of: Is He real? Does He care?

Maybe we question ourselves thinking, Did I misunderstand? Am I a fool for waiting on Him? Questions like these can be detrimental to our faith, tearing us down from the inside. But rather than wondering what went wrong between us and God, these are times that build us up in relationship with Him.

Elijah’s experience, written in 1 Kings 19:11-13, of waiting on God has helped me stay steadfast in faith and quiet the internal relationship interrogation. Elijah was told that God was coming and to wait for Him. Elijah waited through all sorts of calamities that any of us would hope to find God in. Yet God did not present as expected.

This passage reveals that though we go through difficult times, God will show up in His time, not ours. And when He shows up, we will be filled with awe. I had this experience years ago when our family took a week’s vacation to Hawaii. Upon landing, I had this sense that God wanted to say something to me. So, I began each morning reading my Bible and opening my ears to what He wanted to disclose.

Day one of listening for God to speak went by and yet I heard nothing. Day two...nothing. Days three, four, and five...still no word from God. I began to question both God and me. Looking heavenward I prayed: Hello, up there. God, did You say to listen or am I just making it up?

By day six I was weary of the waiting. I felt like I had wasted a vacation waiting on God’s arrival. But in that moment, I felt an urgency to take my journal down to the seashore. Yet it was raining outside, so I prayed: Father, I have trusted You all week. I am confused and disappointed that I am not hearing what You have to say to me. Yet as Elijah, I will take my journal to the ocean as soon as the weather clears.

The weather cleared the day we were departing. Remembering my promise to God, I gathered my book and pen and walked over to a rocky inlet near our accommodations then sat in silence.

In that cove there was a sea turtle eating greens growing on the volcanic crag. Waves rolled in and out, tossing that creature wildly to and fro. To my eyes it seemed a dangerous place for an animal to be, the Pacific’s strength working against her.

In that moment, God visited me. He spoke to my heart about His design on my life, using the unique sea turtle design, the hard shell, sharp beak, and the flipper-like feet, as metaphors for His equipping me to live in rough “surf”. Immediately I was filled with awe and humbled to the core for the personal word spoken over me. The doubts I’d had throughout the week dissipated and my faith grew in our relationship.

Are you struggling in your relationship with God because of hard times? Have your expectations of Him gone unmet? Friend, God is not absent nor unaware of your problems. He will arrive to meet you in your moment at the perfect time, one that grows your faith in Him.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, we thank You for sharing Elijah’s story to help us know You. We ask to be built up in our relationship with You that we might be faithful people to You and an encouragement to others. May we always look on You with awe. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “Wait on the Lord” by Donnie McClurkin. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “In the Waiting” by Vicki Yohe. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Sharon Musgrove is a self-proclaimed sociologist. The opportunities opened to her, over the years, have led her on a fascinating journey observing human behavior.

She has a diverse background in business, fitness, and health industries. This background led her to a unique position writing curriculum and teaching for two private, Christ-based, residential recovery programs. Both programs primarily served women in the homeless community.

Sharon has traveled multiple times to Kenya, serving on medical teams and teaching in the rural Maasai communities. She’s been privileged to participate in Leadership camps for maturing young women. These annual camps have a mission of encouraging and empowering the impoverished, underprivileged, and often abused young Maasai girls.

Identifying personally with the brokenness of the women she’s served, Sharon sees all people as needing more encouragement regardless of cultural or socioeconomic status. Within these ministries, Sharon has witnessed the transformative power of loving words spoken to the broken-hearted. Sharing God’s love and witnessing its transformative power has become her passion.

In her leisure time, Sharon enjoys her garden, health food, travel, and a good story. She and her husband, Jeff, divide their time between Oregon and Hawaii. They have two grown children.

Currently, Sharon is encouraging others via her inspirational blog, but prefers sharing face to face. Additionally, she is studying Christian fiction writing.

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Connect with Sharon:
Website: Sharonmusgrove.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sharon-Musgrove-Untethered-102208978041060

Devotionals for the Heart: When you need time away and alone with God

Get Away with God
A devotional by Cyndi Staudt

Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. –Mark 6:31 (NLT)

With an audible sigh I plopped myself into the seat of the plane and buckled my seatbelt.

In the flurry of the past week spent preparing for a 10-day vacation, I felt like I hadn’t had a moment to breathe. Running errands, packing suitcases, making arrangements for the pet sitter, planning for projects to be covered at work, making lists and checking them twice—the last week had disappeared into a vapor of busyness. If I was honest with myself, the last few months hadn’t been much different. White space in my calendar had been diminishing as rapidly as my ability to say no. My commitments continued to climb, carrying my stress levels and anxiety along with it. There was no denying this time away was desperately needed.

Our lives are often so full that we even have difficulty finding time, or choosing to make time, to spend with Jesus. We have so many obligations and people clamoring for our attention, it can be hard to feel there is room to dedicate a portion of our day to God. But these are the times when we need that daily connection to our Savior more than ever. When we take even a few sacred moments to spend in His presence in the midst of our busy day, He will meet us there. He can pour peace into our minds and download deep truths into our hearts that can help us manage the madness of an overcommitted calendar, a harried heart, or a troubled spirit.

In the Bible, Jesus made a regular example of getting away from the hustle and bustle of His daily grind and we should too. Unplugging from our routines, from social media, from overwhelmed schedules and overworked minds and bodies, shouldn’t just be reserved for special vacations or holidays. They should be a part of our regular rhythms, “rhythms of grace” that The Holy Bible tells us should be “unforced”. Let’s read about it in Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG): “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

God invites us to rest that is real and restorative. Rest that helps us recover a life where we can exist freely and lightly, unburdened by the demands of the world. He draws us to a place where we can abide in His presence and abound in His provision for our bodies, minds and souls.

Friends, in the days when you feel you can’t find a minute to catch your breath or don't even have time to eat, ask God to give you the grace to find a few moments to slip away alone in His presence. God will speak volumes to a heart that is open to his truth—even over the hustle and bustle of your busiest days. And at the end of it you may find the promise of Acts 3:19 (TPT) fulfilled, “times of refreshing will stream from the Lord’s presence”.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for always setting the example for how we can live the abundant life that You've promised us. Help us to remember that busyness isn't always productive, particularly when it squeezes out time spent with You. Having and doing more rarely leads to accomplishment, fulfillment, or even contentment unless it’s having more of or doing more for You. When our lives begin to tumble out of control let us heed Your gentle invitation to get away with You to a quiet place to reset, restore and replenish. You created us with a natural need and desire for relationship with You. Let us never neglect the nourishment that comes from time spent in Your presence. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Make Room” by Jonathan McReynolds. Listen to this song here.

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Author Bio:

Cyndi Staudt is a Jesus-loving, adrenaline junkie who is devoted to living her life for Jesus Christ until the day she is living with Him.

With a passion for cultivating a craving for God’s Word, her devotions and Bible studies are saturated with faith and hope to stir your soul to connect with God in deeper, more intimate ways.

Through her writing she hopes to ignite your desire to read God’s Word, invite your heart to experience God’s love, and inspire you to live your live life “souled out” to the One whose love has no limits.

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Connect with Cyndi on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/souledoutcyndi/

Devotionals for the Heart: Clean Slate

Create in Me a Clean Slate

A devotional by Cyndi Staudt

“Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be—you get a fresh start, your slate’s wiped clean.” 

–Psalm 32:1 (MSG)

Vacations always seem to be a time I hear from God. Maybe it’s because my pace slows down, my mind quiets and I take more time to tune into the many ways my Creator reveals Himself to me.

On a recent vacation, my nephew and I took a walk down to the beach. It was relatively quiet as most beachgoers had long since gathered their belongings and made their way home. As many kids do at the beach, Ryan started building a castle with a moat and spires, towers and walls. He took such great care with it and spent so much time on all the details, decorating it with big shells and tiny shells, twigs and seaweed. He crafted such an elaborate structure – it was quite impressive. As I looked down the beach I could see dotted across the shoreline, several other structures that remained from a busy day of play at the beach.

The next morning, as I walked the beach, I noticed the shoreline smooth as silk with no visible remnants of the castles that peppered its horizon just a few hours before. It was a blank canvas – an untouched fabric on which new “builders” could sculpt their structures on this new day. During the night, as the tides had washed through, the waves had carried the walls of the castles and structures out to sea with them. The rolling waters had pulled sand into the crevices and moats leaving a smooth, even surface in their place. I looked at that smooth, clean slate full of possibility and wonder. No baggage to be removed, no tearing down or correcting needed. Just a smooth surface awaiting a new day.

I got to thinking of how much I wish I could have a clean slate. How I wished I could erase all traces of the messes I had created in my life and wash away the disappointments and destruction that littered the broken road to my present. Almost immediately God spoke to my spirit, reminding me that He specializes in fresh starts. As our verse so clearly states above, we do get a clean slate to work from the moment we invite Jesus to reside in our hearts and every day thereafter. Even when we can’t seem to let go of or forget our past failures, God does. That accusing voice we hear isn’t our Savior’s. That guilt and condemnation we feel doesn’t come from our God. It’s the voice of our accuser who will stop at nothing to make us feel unworthy of the grace and love God so freely and extravagantly extends.

Lamentations 3:21-24 (MSG) tells us this, “It’s a Good Thing to Hope for Help from God. I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed. I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there’s one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left.”

These verse speak to my heart in such a powerful way. When it talks about hitting bottom I am immediately reminded of some of my “rock bottom” moments. Moments I would like to wipe off my slate forever. Before I had a relationship with Jesus, I had a relationship with drugs – one that almost killed me more than once. To say I had hit rock bottom was an understatement for sure. When I came to Christ, Satan loved to bring those memories to mind and conjure up feelings of embarrassment and shame. So I rarely shared with anyone these dark details of my past. The devil loves to keep things hidden, while God brings things into the light and washes them away.

One day I was in my office at work and a coworker came in on her day off, sitting next to me in our office. I asked her if everything was okay and she said she was “going through some stuff” but that I wouldn’t understand because I had my life so together. It was at that moment God convicted me that if I never shared where He had brought me from then I was robbing Him of His full glory. God can’t erase what we keep holding on to and hiding. But if we bring it to Him, His grace and mercy will clean our slate not just of the sin but of the guilt and shame that go with it.

When we tell of how God changed us and where He brought us from, He gets the glory He is due. If you are struggling today with a slate that you can never seem to get fully cleared, I encourage you to bring every burden to the foot of The Cross and leave it there in the very capable hands of our Redeemer (Jesus Christ) who paid a dear price to wipe our slates perfectly clean.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, we don’t have adequate words to express the gratitude we have for the sacrifice You made so that we could have a clean slate. Help us to release all of our burdens to You – all of our sin, shame, guilt and embarrassment. Empty us of all that interferes with our relationship with You and allow us to be filled with a deeper, more intimate connection to You. Help us to have a heightened sense of Your boundless love, unending grace and mercies which are new every morning. In Jesus’s name we ask this, Amen.

*Note from Alexis: Cyndi’s message today reminds me of the song “Create in Me a Clean Heart” performed by Donnie McClurkin. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Cyndi Staudt is a Jesus-loving, adrenaline junkie who is devoted to living her life for Jesus Christ until the day she is living with Him.

With a passion for cultivating a craving for God’s Word, her devotions and Bible studies are saturated with faith and hope to stir your soul to connect with God in deeper, more intimate ways.

Through her writing she hopes to ignite your desire to read God’s Word, invite your heart to experience God’s love, and inspire you to live your live life “souled out” to the One whose love has no limits.

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Connect with Cyndi:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/souledoutcyndi/